


In Bed With Your Enemies

by lostraiders



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, Faberry, Multi, Pezberry, brittberry, faberrittana
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-10
Updated: 2012-10-26
Packaged: 2017-11-16 01:06:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/533796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostraiders/pseuds/lostraiders
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rachel has a secret. Too bad Coach Sue Sylvester knows all about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A First for Everything

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.

* * *

It was a Friday afternoon and classes had most definitely ended for the day. Furthermore, with no Glee Club meeting scheduled, Rachel normally would have been quick to return home; keeping herself two weeks prepared beforehand always kept her days nice and neat, not to mention ensured that she'd be primed for the hectic schedule from her, no doubt, successful Broadway career. However, instead of metaphorically penciling in her future schedule plans, Rachel stiffly sat inside the office of the one person she'd rather just avoid all together. Unfortunately, fervidly praying to all the higher authorities one could think of doesn't always bring about the desired outcome. And so, at that very moment in time, Rachel was left staring at the back of a rather luxurious looking chair.

The room's occupants both continued with the unnerving silence, neither uttering a single word. Rachel briefly looks down at her hands and resisted the urge to start wringing them – a nervous habit Rachel almost got rid of but still shows up from time-to-time. The sound of shuffled papers brings her attention back to the situation at hand; just in time to see a chair swivel, placing her face-to-face with one Sue Sylvester.

Rachel momentarily wondered whether this horrid dream – it couldn't possibly be anything else – would soon approach an end. She eagerly awaited for the familiar surroundings of her room to reappear and the unperturbed visage of Miss Sylvester to dissipate. Stilling her hands, Rachel resisted the urge to pinch herself awake on the off chance that this event was an actual moment in her life.

All the while, Sue simply sat with papers in hand as she settled comfortably in the present atmosphere; the woman loved a good scare. Once satisfied, the track-suited woman began.

"First things first, you're on the Cheerios."

"I don't–" Rachel starts only for Sue to continue on without regards for whatever added commentaries from the girl involved. "And you're off Glee," the Cheerios coach states simply.

"No."

Rachel's answer was immediate and said with such finality and vehement that Sue actually paused in her actions of signing the papers she had. Placing the pen down on her desk, Sue straightened in her seat as she stared at Rachel square in the eyes. She wanted to see if she could make the hobbit quiver.

After a moment's pause, to ensure she had Sue's full attention, Rachel began with her side of the conversation.

"I'll join the Cheerios but I will **not** quit Glee Club. Not even if you tell everyone what you know about me," Rachel staunchly proposed as she crossed her arms defiantly for emphasis.

Throughout the entire proposition, Rachel never once failed to maintain full eye contact with the Cheerios coach. Not a single flinch during the encounter spoke volumes of the seriousness Rachel was conveying to the other occupant of the room.

Sue's eyes narrowed momentarily before she leaned back on her imported leather chair, a customary gift from Principal Figgins for leading the Cheerios on a six consecutive National Championships winning streak.

"Fine," Sue compromised before folding her hands, "But I expect the same level of dedication, if not more, as your unfounded love for your pathetic Glee Club."

"Fine," Rachel reiterates with Sue's previous use of the word before promptly standing up from her seat and beginning her much wanted exit.

"Welcome to what will be the most important aspect of your life," Sue calls out as Rachel passed the doorway.

Disregarding the unanswered reply, Sue only resumed with pouring herself a cup of her fantastically-made protein shake.

Nothing like a good (albeit short) verbal spat to end the day.

* * *

Monday morning could not come any sooner and everyone was feeling the effects of an unsatisfied weekend. But none of that compared to the feelings evoked from a sight the Cheerios would inevitably encounter.

"What the F," Santana states plainly to what must have been a mistake thrown in front of her.

The idea that this was some sick, twisted joke fell flat, however, at approximately 1.5 seconds after the Cheerios coach appeared nonchalantly by the vertically challenged, fashion reject.

It made for a very disturbing image. And most of the Cheerios were ready to believe in the possibility of a shared hallucination bought on from living a diet of only the coach's homemade protein shakes.

"Look alive people! I won't hesitate to slaughter each and every one of you for having an off day."

The shout jolts everyone into attention and resulted with a blur of red and white suited cheerleaders moving towards their designated spots.

As Sue moved to inspect the dismal group, the image of the close by abomination continued to remain. Eyes didn't cease to waver between the imposing figure of Sue Sylvester and the not-so-far-away monstrosity that refused to dissipate.

It wasn't long before Quinn couldn't ignore the big (pint-sized) pink (red) elephant (yeti) that has yet to excuse itself. There must have been some rational explanation for this delusion. Stepping forward, Quinn approached the issue.

"Coach, why is that… thing wearing," Quinn began only to end with a waving of her right hand over the definitely unwanted mass nearby.

"I would think it's obvious," Sue simply states before sidestepping Quinn and moving to address the rest of the squad. "Girls, welcome our new flyer."

Everyone couldn't help but gawk at the news; some of the girls even became slack jawed.

Rachel Berry, a Cheerio?

Pandemonium.

Sheer pandemonium.

"We don't need a new flyer. We already have all the flyers we need," one of the Cheerios spat out almost heatedly. But the moment she did, the girl wished she could backtrack from that verbal mistake.

Sue had calmly walked up to the insubordinate and swiftly bought up her bullhorn. With the simple press of her right index finger, the tall woman spoke just one word.

"Wrong!" came the boom as the sound continued to echo throughout the field. The once outspoken cheerleader only shrinks back in response as Sue sneers at the girl's previous audacity. Letting out a small snort of disgust, the woman turned to the rest of her cheerleaders.

"You only have **four** flyers, whereas I clearly remember ordering **five**!" Without pause, Sue continued blasting away through the bullhorn; she wanted her point to come across loud and clear. "Don't forget that Stacy here sprained her ankle last Friday," Sue carried on in her authoritative state.

The aforementioned Stacy quickly perks up in attention at the mention of her name and raises a hand for notice. "The doctor said it should heal by –" the injured Cheerio pipes up only to be stopped.

"Don't bother. You're no longer a part of the squad," Sue pauses momentarily to signal towards the new addition to the team. "And Berry's here to replace your spot. I expect the uniform you're undeservingly wearing dry cleaned and back on my desk before the end of the day."

"I-I-I," Stacy stammers out as Sue shakes her head at the idiocies that seem to surround her on a daily basis.

"Did I stutter?" was the rhetorical quip.

A shake of a head was the girl's answer before Sue pointed out some ways by the bleachers, bluntly telling the bumbling girl in front of her to depart from her sight.

Stacy could only solemnly nod, mainly to herself, before limping off pathetically. It was obvious to everyone that the girl was trying to hold back her tears. Sue could only sneer at the weak display of emotions.

Disgusting.

* * *

The girls finally returned to the locker room and, simply put, practice was hell. Not that it always wasn't, but with the new addition and subsequent expulsion of Stacy from the squad….

Everyone was off their rockers.

And being off meant not double but triple the amount of workout as determined by one Sue Sylvester. It was amazing that anyone survived, much less having the new 'Cheerio' keep up with everyone.

Spying the cause of everyone's troubles first out the lockers, Santana quickly swerved in her actions and bought her attention towards the other two parts of the Unholy Trinity.

"What the hell are we gonna do? That," Santana had to pause momentarily, "Thing is a part of the Cheerios now."

The Latina clearly remembered how Coach ordered the rest of the squad to treat Berry accordingly since she's 'one of the girls', effective immediately.

Santana almost shuddered at that definitely unnatural phenomenon.

"Rachel needs to wear Cheerio skirts more often," Brittany proclaims proudly.

Scratch that. Santana did shudder. Having the Gleek Queen paraded around as a Cheerio was just so wrong. Massively wrong.

Quinn arched an eyebrow at Brittany's (definitely odd) thoughts before addressing her answer to the problem.

"We'll see how long she'll last as one of us. I'm still cheer captain so it's only my duty that I ensure she's got the right stuff for being a true Cheerio."

"Man stuff maybe," Santana scoffs before throwing the last of her belongings into her locker.

The other two followed suit and soon all three were roaming the halls of McKinley High.

There was no way in hell that Quinn or Santana was going to let Rachel Berry remain a bona fide Cheerio.

And Brittany? Well, Brittany was happy as long Rachel kept wearing them short skirts.

-End Chapter One-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea which of the three girls Rachel would end up with. She might even end up with all three! So until then I'll probably just juggle Rachel around with each of the girls until I figure it all out. In other words: I definitely need feedback from my readers. Ideas, anyone?


	2. The Welcome Party, part 1

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.

* * *

Slowly releasing the breath she held, Rachel kept her pace brisk and with purpose – getting as far, **far** away as possible from the girls' locker room. The apparent daze the (other) Cheerios were in might not last long and Rachel concluded it'd be best that she wasn't around once her newly acquired teammates snapped out of it.

Turning a corner, Rachel hastily approached an unwanted stop when she stumbled upon two towering boys. She didn't fail to notice the cups of Big Quench, usually present around her vicinity, each sported in their hands.

Of course it probably would have been beneficial to her if she ignored the two jocks – made apparent by their over confident smirks and letterman jackets – except Rachel wasn't naturally a rude person; she may lack some degree of tact, but she'd never intentionally act rude. Well, at least, not without good reason. Unfortunately civilized manners weren't always reciprocated, especially in the high school world.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a cautious smile.

The two boys' smirks only widen in correspondence with one another.

"Well look at this. A gleek trying to move up in the world," the taller boy stated as he gave Rachel a once over.

Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The lack of creativity between the two in front of her wasn't very astounding. She'd heard it all before: Treasure Trail, Man Hands, RuPaul, Yentl, and other imaginative descriptions used by a majority of the school's populace.

Actually, now that she thought about it, the Cheerios – specifically Quinn and Santana – established most of more advanced name calling. Rachel briefly wondered how much time and effort the two Cheerios spent creating their (obviously jealousy-spurred) nicknames for her.

* * *

Coincidentally the credited Cheerios, plus one, arrived not too far away from this definitely watched (and recorded, courtesy of Jacob Ben Israel) scene.

Brittany reacted almost immediately, once the girl realized what was happening, and began to stomp her way over. Sadly, Santana proved to be the fastest of the three Cheerios when she caught hold of the tall blonde's wrist and pulled her back.

"San," Brittany hissed at the other girl whereas the Latina only offered a stern look in return. Glancing over at Quinn, Brittany realized further actions would prove futile when she noticed how intrigued the other blonde appeared on what was occurring (or going to occur) with Rachel and the harassing jocks. With regret, Brittany relented herself to simply watch the soon-to-be-disastrous scene unfold like the rest of the onlookers in McKinley High. She was so totally going to get back at Santana for this.

* * *

"Obviously someone here doesn't know her place," the other boy pressed on.

Standing her ground, Rachel refused to pander to the jocks' (and the crowds') expectations. She was Rachel Berry – future Broadway superstar, currently Glee Club captain, plus recently-made Cheerio. And she wasn't going to accept their harassments or any other forms of intimidation; nothing, and certainly no one, will halt her from her destined path to stardom. So quite frankly, Rachel was going to tell the two jocks where they could shove it.

"Is there a problem here, ladies?" piped a very familiar voice, one that distinctively made everyone's skin crawl in trepidation.

Turning around, the two jocks were faced with an approaching Sue Sylvester in all her track-suited glory; it was to be a confrontation neither boy would forget.

"Uhh…," one of the dubbed Neanderthals had the unfortunate courage to blatantly utter.

Sue felt the sudden urge to punch someone silly – most specifically a William Schuester – or perhaps ram some 'unnamed' person's head repeatedly through a wall. The two knuckleheads in front of her exposed how dastardly low the standards at McKinley High have fallen. Without fail, Sue pondered her options.

"There's no problem here, Coach Sylvester," responded the only other coherent person around.

Moving her gaze past the buffoons, Sue arched a perfectly (and naturally) sculpted eyebrow at her newest addition. She was briefly surprised the diva didn't intend to have the two meatheads' shameful existence decimated. To each their own, she supposed.

Regarding the other two that stained her sights, Sue only smiled sweetly. "Well then," she begins before her face reverted to its usual unamused expression, "Out of my way, maggots!"

With the barked out order, everyone parted like waves to avoid the incoming wrath of Sue. The once pestering jocks proved unfortunate as they reacted far too slowly for Sue's liking. Thus, both were forcibly removed off the rapidly clearing hallway by Sue Sylvester herself. Sometimes a woman needed to get down and dirty to accomplish what was intended.

And it was truly a sight to behold.

One jock flopped against the lockers as the other hit the floor after tumbling backwards. The result remained unanimous, nevertheless, as both cups of Big Quench each were holding spilled onto the owners themselves.

Sue didn't bother to turn around at the no doubt hilarious spectacle but continued on her chosen path, scowling at all passersby. The intent was clear: Rachel Berry is now **off limits**.

Speaking of whom, the slushie-free diva was currently fast approaching her locker – the best proposed choice of action was to stay clear out of Coach Sylvester's way, who knows what else the woman may demand from her.

Now that her status as a Cheerio became 'official' official, Rachel shuddered in speculation over the rest of the day's likelihood. It was a surprise that the world – or really just McKinley High – hadn't imploded from the unlikely taking a sudden nose dive into reality.

Grabbing the rest of her school essentials, Rachel took a deep breath in preparation before closing her locker door. Ominously, she could hear the suspenseful 4/4 string ostinato in D minor₁ playing in the back of her mind. Nervously laughing it off, Rachel reminded herself that this was real life and not some terrifying scene from _Jaws_ ; definitely nothing dangerous was headed towards her unsuspecting way.

With her guard down at the moment, Rachel ended up quite literally having to brace herself as an impact from behind left her tumbling forward. Only her quick reflexes – gathered from her years as a dancer – helped her to avoid landing face first onto the (very metal) lockers in front of her.

Rachel's grip on her bag only tightened as she tried to calmly process what had just happened.

"Hi Rachel!" Brittany practically squealed in excitement as she continued to hug the greeted girl from behind.

* * *

Nearby, Quinn and Santana watched gob smacked at the fact that Brittany had essentially flung herself onto the petite diva. Furthermore, looking down at the toy duck in her right hand, the Latina wondered when the bubbly blonde had gotten out of her grip.

* * *

Looking up and over her shoulder, Rachel only let out a soft tentative 'hello' back. She was unused to such affections, especially from a peer of her own age. The awkwardness of the moment brushed aside, Brittany only smiled down at the girl in her arms and Rachel couldn't help but smile back; the blonde's sunny disposition tended to be infectious.

"Oh look! There's Mike," Brittany suddenly announced before letting go and opting to link arms with Rachel instead. Twisting her body in another direction, Brittany waved ecstatically at the mentioned boy. "Mike! Come meet Rachel!" she declared quite vocally, unheeding of the multiple set of eyes that closely watched the two girls. Rachel, however, was unfortunate enough to notice the increased audience failing to coyly spy in on them.

As the Asian boy approached with a slight uncertain but amused look, Brittany moved Rachel to the forefront; her hands placed on top the smaller girl's shoulders. "Meet the newest Cheerio," Brittany proclaimed proudly. "So…? What do you think?" she immediately inquired.

A few seconds passed as Mike looked Rachel over in her new attire. He never thought the girl would join the 'other side'. And, quite frankly, the boy wasn't sure what to say. So he went for the bare minimum.

"Umm… wow."

Luckily, someone else gladly continued on with the comments for him.

"Damn! Looks like my JewBerry's got it going on!" exclaimed the new voice.

Rachel thought she felt Brittany's grip on her shoulders tightened reflexively at the distinctive use of the word 'my' but pushed that ridiculous notion aside. Instead, she refocused her attention on the new arrival to their little group.

It was obvious who the voice belonged to and no one was surprised to see Noah Puckerman appear at the scene. With a wolfish grin, the boy with the Mohawk continued to rake his eyes over McKinley High's newest cheerleader. In turn, Rachel felt the sudden urge to slap the boy in indignation but settled for reprimanding him to keep his eyes at an appropriate level.

But before the scrutinized girl could do just that, Brittany spoke up.

"Totally hot," the blonde comments before pressing her front up against the brunette's back. Draping her arms across Rachel's shoulders, Brittany flashed a quick smirk Puck's way before setting her chin atop Rachel's head. "Don't you just want to eat her up?"

Puck felt his jaw drop slightly.

 **That** smirk and **that** question was so a total 'staking her claim' declaration – at least, in Puck's hopeful world. Brittany was obviously flaunting the 'look but don't touch' policy in his face. And the way that last question was phrased made it a definite open-to-interpretation, sending Puck's already lewd mind fervently spiraling around the tall girl's intentions with his fellow Jew. He almost creamed his pants at the various (and vivid) scenarios his mind rapidly conjured up. In the end, Puck's thoughts revolved around how the Puckersaurus needs to get in on the action – or, at least watch.

Rachel, meanwhile, was pondering about the silence that suddenly engulfed the group. She had looked towards Mike for answers but the boy was busy looking shyly down at his shoes. His flustered appearance had only peak her curiosity all the more. And Puck, the ever boastful and loud boy, appeared to have fallen under a spell only his mind could conjure. Disturbingly, the lecherous grin never once left from his face.

Rachel shifted in slight discomfort – in part to Puck's obvious perverse mentality and the (super) close proximity she was sharing with the blonde Cheerio. Rachel justified Brittany's physical nearness as a byproduct of the girl's overtly friendly and touchy-feely persona. She didn't get much further in her thoughts, however. The fact that Rachel could feel Brittany's entire front pressed against her caused too big a distraction for her usually sharp mind.

She briefly wondered what else was in store for her.

Oh, if only she knew of Brittany's thoughts.

* * *

It was odd to see the usual crowd part in waves at her every approach; Sue Sylvester certainly scared them straight. But even after expecting the possible effects of her forced social status rearrangement, Rachel found herself still baffled by the changes. She couldn't help pausing at each turn in the hallway, cautious for that hidden slushie sure to be thrown when least expected.

Such an incident had yet to happen. Well, it came close after this morning's practice but Sue's well-timed arrival ended any altercation. It was awkward. Nice, oddly enough, but still definitely awkward. She wondered what Sue's game was.

Nevertheless, screwing on her patented smile – being able to smile no matter the circumstances was a must for a Broadway star – Rachel was determined to see this day through, even though it had only just barely begun.

News, and already rumors, had spread like wildfire.

Rachel hoped this necessitated decision to join the Cheerios wouldn't drastically alter her life.

* * *

The school bell rang signaling a break between classes. Will, known as Mr Schue to his students, was fast out the door of his classroom after having excused his third period class. With a few papers in his hands, Will continued to bustle through the throng of students already out and about in the halls.

"A new Cheerio –"

"– couldn't believe my eyes!"

"How'd she do it?"

Similar whispered discussions were taking place around, but Will simply ignored all the high school talks and gossips. He had already heard from his other classes about some new Cheerio who appeared today. Will briefly wondered which poor girl let herself get sucked into Sue's warped propaganda.

Still, a new Cheerio shouldn't have caused the school to become so a fluttered and en masse as it did.

Approaching a corner, Will found Emma standing alone off to the side. He halted to a slight stop, momentarily observing the woman. Quite strangely, the redhead was muttering to herself. "Emma?" he called out.

The woman's head twisted to the side and she seemed absolutely surprised to see Will so nearby. "Will!" she squeaked sharply.

In return, Will smiled amusedly at Emma's odd antics but thought nothing wrong of it. "Well, I'll be going now, Emma. It was nice to see you." And with the quick farewell, Will continued on his path.

"Will!" Emma shouted once more before hurriedly following suit. "Actually, I think there's something you should know," the cleanliness-obsessed counselor mentioned as she appeared by Will's side.

Without a glance at his added companion, Will continued to flip through the papers in his hands. "Can it wait?" he asked before holding up some papers gestured at Emma and continuing, "I need to make some more copies of these handouts for my next class."

"I umm… uhh…," Emma could only mumble off as she came to a complete stop in front of a woman that Will seemed to take no notice of.

"Thanks, Emma," Will called out, his focus still on his papers, as he strolled past the two.

Sue could only smirk at the redhead in front of her. "Beat it, toots," she remarked before turning to face the ignorant man still wandering off. "I'm the one that's gonna break him." Sue momentarily watched Emma's bewilderment from the edge of her eyes before revising the previous comment. "I mean, break the news to him."

And then Sue was off.

It took a mere five seconds before Sue had gotten herself in front of Will's path. Luckily, Will had decided to glance up from his papers, a sense of foreboding having seeped into his consciousness. Abruptly halting, Will avoided a collision with the Cheerios coach and stared up at his inconvenient roadblock.

"What is it this time, Sue?" he warily asked.

Sue **only** smiled.

"I thought you'd like to hear about my new Cheerio, William."

Again, Sue had only **smiled**.

Deciding to bite the proverbial bullet, Will continued on the conversation. "And who's the unfortunate girl that's willing to subject herself to your torture now?"

If possible, Sue smiled wider. Will felt like the canary ultimately caught in the cat's clutches.

"Well, speak of my newest star!" Sue calls out before waving at some unknown person some ways behind Will. "March on over here, Berry!"

 _Oh no_ , Will thought.

* * *

Late at night, after having finished her nightly rituals, Rachel laid on her bed. For the next past minutes, she simply tossed and turned before letting out a frustrated groan. Giving up, Rachel rolled onto her back and relented to staring at her bedroom's ceiling.

The Glee Club meeting tomorrow after school was definitely going to be different. Everything was different now actually.

Letting out a sigh, Rachel turned onto her side once more and closed her eyes, trying to get at least a good night's rest.

-End Chapter Two-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ₁ The idea for the musical piece originates from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Clams.


	3. The Welcome Party, part 2

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.

* * *

" _Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride_

_Nobody's gonna slow me down, oh no!"_

With the lyrics of Matthew Wilder's "Break My Stride" filling the air, Rachel's eyes snapped open as the upper half of her body shot up from the bed. Eyes wide and frantic, the girl looked left and right – taking quick, precise glances around. The brunette's actions didn't last very long before her sights honed in on the Cheerio outfit hanging at the far right side of her room.

" _I got to keep on movin'_

_Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride"_

Releasing a loud, frustrated groan, Rachel lets herself fall backwards before promptly pulling the covers up and over her head. The idea that she had become a Cheerio as the basis for some recent, horrible nightmare had just proven to be a definite piece of reality.

" _I'm running and I won't touch ground_

_Oh no, I got to keep on movin!'"_

Groaning louder, Rachel let her legs kick out a couple of times in defiance. She really didn't want to attend McKinley without her trademark knee-highs accompanied by the usual skirt and argyle top. Her perfectly chosen articles of clothing were a statement of herself and reflected her positive, professional attitude. However, at that particular moment, Rachel was acting anything but professional.

" _You're on a roll and now you pray it lasts_

_The road behind was rocky_

_But now you're feeling cocky"_

For an instant Rachel let the childish thought of staying in bed all day linger in her mind – it would never happen, of course, but it was nice enough to imagine. Tentatively, she peered out from underneath her covers and glanced at the clock beside her bed; it read 6:01am. Unwilling to waste any more of her precious minutes – good time management is a must – Rachel reluctantly threw down the covers. The longer she continued to push the actual facts away, the harsher the truth felt when it continues to mockingly slap her in the face with its unrelenting presence.

" _You look at me and you see your past_

_Is that the reason why you're runnin' so fast?_

_And she said"_

Getting up, the girl shuffled off to begin the day with her usual morning habits. Hopefully that one wasted minute wouldn't prove to be disastrous enough to throw her off her routine too badly. Moving towards the bathroom, Rachel let herself get influenced by the upbeat tune of the song, softly singing along as she prepared for the day.

" _Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride_

_Nobody's gonna slow me down, oh no!_

_I got to keep on movin'"_

Besides, today couldn't possibly be any worse.

Famous last words.

* * *

"Put your backs into it! No slacking! An extra ten miles for you, Freckles!"

Lowering her bullhorn, Sue Sylvester frowned. The performance today had been dismal at best; worse than yesterday, if that was even at all possible. Naturally, as punishment, Sue had the girls running to her little heart's content – or, at least, until their hearts gave out; whichever came first. Eyeing the unacceptable amount lagging at the back of the pack, Sue speculated whether or not to keep this up for another half hour.

Sure it may eat up into the first hour of their other, more irrelevant classes but lowly subjects such as teenagers needed to be ruled – not just taught – with an iron fist. And the first order of business dictates that sloppiness will never be accepted, not now and definitely not ever.

An unfortunate Cheerio trips, effectively causing Sue's eyes to narrow all the more. The bullhorn swiftly reapproaching her lips, the imposing woman lets loose another string of encouragement. "Pick up the pace you slackers unless you want to become the next Stacy₁!"

The girls begin to pick up speed and Sue mentally congratulated herself on a job well done. It'll only be a matter of time before they began dropping like flies. That should teach them to not mess up a cheer routine.

Satisfied, Sue let her eyes wander to her newest Cheerio. Surprisingly, the vertically-challenged girl had managed to position herself in the middle of the pack, neither leading nor lagging. No matter, Sue was determined – and most definitely willing – to mold Berry into an excellent addition to her squad of Cheerios.

Unfortunately (or luckily), her concentration on the girl is marred by the sounds of a beeping watch. And, looking down at her wrist, the towering woman noticed it was time for her daily dose of horse estrogen₂.

After a few more minutes of watching the Cheerios literally drowning in their own sweat and tears, Sue decided to cut the torment.

"Pack it up! I don't want to see your pitiful faces anymore!" Sue bellowed into her bullhorn before strutting off.

* * *

Rachel gritted her teeth as she carefully walked – not limp – to the girls' locker room. Ignoring the not-so-muted groans permeating the air, she tried not to hobble over to the designated 'Cheerios Only' lockers. At this moment, walking into the girls' locker room was the equivalent of walking into a lion's den while the beasts were still inside. It was best not to show any weaknesses. She doubted the other Cheerios would hesitate to pounce at the first hint; Sue probably trained them for it.

Suppressing another wince, Rachel opened her locker and promptly took out the duffel bag stuffed inside. Normally she'd opt for a quick shower but under these circumstances – she eyed the nearby grumbling Cheerios warily – Rachel thought it best to forgo that option.

The brunette may have been optimistic about most things, but even she had the most common of senses to hightail it out of there as soon as possible. And although there was a Sue-issued proclamation for her to be treated accordingly, Rachel doubted her usual tormentors – particularly two Cheerios – would stop cold turkey. She could only hope that some embarrassing hazing ritual doesn't occur with the flimsy excuse of promoting camaraderie within the squad. Rachel had most definitely seen those horrifying documentaries on hazings gone wrong. Plus, she saw _Carrie_ ₃ – she doubted anyone hasn't.

Besides, she could always freshen up at one of the many restrooms that McKinley had. From her numerous occasions of being slushied, Rachel had, as a practicality, memorized the location of each and every facility available on school grounds.

Taking a few subtle glances here and there, the girl noted the surrounding preoccupied Cheerios and made her move. Holding the duffel bag close, she swiftly walked towards the nearest available exit. The brunette took special caution to avoid any contact – especially eye contact – and prayed for a quick, clean escape.

Unfortunately not all prayers are immediately answered. And Rachel happened to make the mistake of looking back, failing to notice the girl just around the corner behind some rows of lockers. It wasn't long before the scurrying diva felt her body collide with that of an unsuspecting Cheerio.

Stumbling backwards, Rachel mentally chided herself for the unexpected incident; there goes the possibility of escaping confrontation or, at least, postponing it for a later date – preferably, after she'd taken some self-defense classes.

Regaining her footing, Rachel immediately began delivering her apology at the accident all the while moving quickly to help the unintentionally downed girl. Her fast movements only attested to the fact that her earlier pains – both from Sue's brutal workout and this most recent accident – had already begun dissipating. "I'm truly sorry. It was all… my… fault," Rachel slowly trailed off once she glanced up at the other individual involved.

Quinn Fabray. Fantastic.

Rachel felt her heart drop in dread at the thought of the other girl's possible, numerous reactions. First and foremost, however, Rachel expected the customary (and childish) name-calling followed by an insult on her personal self. When Quinn's eyes narrowed in sight of her, Rachel reflexively steeled herself for the impending backlash and berating.

Besides the prompt retracting of the blonde's hand from hers, the Cheerio-clad diva was left surprisingly unscathed.

"Watch it," Quinn hissed before walking past.

For a moment, Rachel thought her mind had momentarily lapsed and was playing tricks once again. But, after blinking a few times in suspended thought, she realizes that Quinn had indeed left it at that.

Tilting her head slightly, Rachel tried to rationalize the recent encounter. Absolutely nothing had prepared her for this; it was a bit anticlimactic actually.

And, in unlike Rachel Berry fashion, the petite brunette could only dumbly stare after Quinn, still in slight awe at the outcome of the situation. "I'm sorry?" she lamely apologized a few seconds later before mentally berating herself at the pathetic-ness of her actions.

Quinn was already too far off to have heard her second attempt at an apology, or much less cared.

Recomposing herself, Rachel ended her blatant gawking of Quinn's departing form. She could analyze this strange occurrence later, preferably in a safer environment. Ignoring the terribly hidden stares and whispers, Rachel griped the strap on her duffel bag tighter before turning to continue on her original path. She would have been well on her way if it wasn't for the sudden push that resulted with her being shoved to the side.

Stumbling sideways, Rachel braced herself against some nearby lockers to keep from falling onto the locker room floors. Wincing from the impact, she didn't hesitate to guess on the identity of her aggressor.

"Move it, dwarf," a recognizable Latina remarked before following the same path Quinn had taken earlier.

Rachel's eyes didn't linger on the other girl's form long before she headed towards the double doors that was her salvation. At least Santana's actions still remained the same. Rachel supposes she could be slightly grateful for that fact.

Once again, the diva ignored the barely disguised whispers of disdain and wonderment as she exited.

* * *

"How is she still standing?" one Cheerio questioned out loud.

A couple of grunts and pained groans were granted as answers.

Not long afterwards, however, a string of chatter had fallen over the girls' locker room; the initial question breaking out a flood of other curious inquiries.

Nevertheless, Quinn simply ignored the noisy babble in the background. She refused to play part in fueling the completely ridiculous gossips surrounding Rachel. There were only two questions that Quinn cared about: How was Rachel Berry a Cheerio and why would Coach Sylvester ever agree to let that… thing become one? Nothing but the truth will distract her from her cause.

Of course, the stray thought that Rachel had surprisingly soft hands did float into her conscious mind before she quickly stomped on and lit fire to that ridiculous notion.

Pulling out a few essentials from her gym locker, Quinn mused over the recent circumstance that had befallen the Cheerios. Getting Rachel to either quit or kicked out of cheerleading wasn't going to be easy, especially if their coach seemed eager on fully integrating the annoying pipsqueak into the squad. Still, a few ideas entered her mind as she began to undress.

Unexpectedly though, a loud bang interrupts Quinn from her thoughts. Looking to her left, the Cheerio captain noticed Santana standing there with her own locker door wide open and right arm slightly outstretched, signaling that the Latina had just haphazardly thrown something in.

"So that's your plan? Don't insult her?" the Latina casually questions, eyes never once focused on Quinn. Santana seemed quite content on going about with her own business, taking out a towel and a few other personal effects.

"Shut up," Quinn retorts before stripping off the last of her uniform and tossing it into her locker. With a towel wrapped around her own body, she quickly slams her locker door shut in a huff. The blonde automatically regrets the move as she winced from the additional strain put on her already aching muscles. Having Sue's crazed fury enacted upon them had definitely made every Cheerio regret underperforming to the woman's expectations.

Walking at a moderate pace towards the locker room showers, Quinn briefly wondered about how Rachel seemed to handle Coach Sylvester's workouts with relative ease for a newbie.

An onlooking Santana only shakes her head at Quinn's actions before returning to her own. Of course, she paused once more when another familiar blonde entered her sights.

"Where's Rachel?" Brittany innocently questioned before approaching her own locker besides Santana's. "Coach called me into her office earlier," the tall blonde further explained yet still remaining vague on the details.

"Anywhere but here," Santana only muttered, not noticing the slight frown that marred her companion's face at the answer.

* * *

Turning off the hair dryer, Rachel wrapped up the electrical cord before grabbing her duffel bag and heading towards the bathroom stalls. Picking the closest available one, she routinely entered and locked the compartment door.

Once inside, Rachel let her posture slump slightly before releasing a deep sigh. Regularly changing outfits in one of McKinley's many restrooms had become a norm for her, but still doing so after becoming a Cheerio set about a somewhat depressing mood. She may have been hasty with her acceptance of a position into the Cheerios, but Rachel still wasn't delusional enough to believe that a cordial relationship would immediately be established with her (forced) new team mates.

The diva still thanked the Almighty Streisand that she hadn't been outright slaughtered the first time she appeared Cheerio-dressed. However, Rachel knew it'd only be a matter of time before her luck ran out. And she absolutely wasn't going to push it by actively provoking these girls with her (soon-to-be-constant) presence.

So it'd be best to stay out of their way – out of harm's way. At least until the emitting danger dissipated from her sixth sense.

Hearing nothing but the usual ambient noises, Rachel forced her mind to clear before refocusing on the task at hand. Hanging her duffel bag on the hook inside the stall, she unzipped the top and placed her hair dryer inside before staring at the set of clothing neatly folded within.

It was quite amazing what Sue Sylvester could accomplish to fulfill her wants and the wants of her Cheerios. But seriously, what kind of cheerleader needs at least five sets of basically the same uniform. The amount was preposterous really even if Sue argued that her Cheerios required a clean uniform for each school day in the week.

Rachel briefly wondered about the enormity of the Cheerios' budgets – as opposed to Glee Club's allotted minuscule spending – for Sue to so outrageously afford the required extra uniforms for each member in her squad.

Letting out a tired breath, Rachel moved to change out of her used uniform, wiping off any sweat along the way with a clean packed towel. She kept her actions meticulous, never wasting a move – years of preparing for life on a Broadway stage does that. But then again, being slushied every now and then did give her great practice as well.

She timed at five minutes. Well, a little over five but she can work on that.

Zipping up the back of her red skirt, Rachel straightened her posture and smoothed out any possible imperfections on the new Cheerio uniform she currently donned. Grabbing her duffel bag off the hook, she stepped out the stall and moved towards an available mirror by the sinks.

Perhaps by chance, at that exact moment, the door to the girls' restroom opened causing Rachel to momentarily freeze in her tracks at the unexpected entrance. A flash of blonde hair only spiked her adrenaline levels, preparing herself for a fight-or-flight response.

"Did someone slushie you, Rachel?"

Hearing the concern in the voice, the newly dressed girl pushed away the small instance of terror and turned to face the identity of her intruder.

Brittany simply stood by the entryway, a slight frown marring the dancer's usual cheerful nature.

Visibly relaxing, Rachel became relieved at the (other) blonde's appearance, though she was somewhat curious to Brittany's unusual deviating of typical high-spiritedness. A question of her own at the tip of her tongue, Rachel hesitated with her curious inquiry once she remembered the manners Dad and Daddy taught her.

"Oh," the brunette muttered, mainly to herself, as the blonde's earlier question entered her mind. "No," Rachel continued before looking down at herself and up. "I'm actually slushie-free (for once)," she finishes, though the latter two words were spoken more softly.

For a split second, Brittany's frown seemed to have deepened before evaporating into a smile. "Good," she answers before skipping over. The blonde didn't hesitate to unexpectedly pull Rachel into a hug, startling the shorter girl once more with her touchy-feely acts. "But why were you changing in here then?" Brittany questions further as she peered down at the petite brunette currently wrapped up in her arms.

Having stiffened at the first touch, Rachel struggled with looking everywhere but straight forward; there was the delicate matter of a certain someone's chest being right there. Her attempts proved feeble, however, as Brittany seemed quite content with firmly holding onto Rachel, ultimately preventing the brunette from repositioning herself.

With that rather prominent distraction, it was quite understandable that Rachel's mind had spiraled into nothingness. Fortunately, after some time, the blonde's second question finally registered within her mind and only another needed minute was required for her to formulate an answer.

Brittany, nonetheless, didn't seem to mind the stretching silence.

"I," Rachel starts before pausing to recollect herself, "I just feel more comfortable changing in here. I know that the other Cheerios haven't really accepted me, only just tolerating me to – at the very least – avoid Sue's wrath."

The answer was a somber one but Brittany didn't hesitate with her response to Rachel's explanation. "I accept you," she admits as she tightened the hug.

Rachel's pulse only rose at the close proximity becoming even closer. And, although the brunette could feel her face heating up at the physical contact, she felt a certain amount of sadness creep into her heart from Brittany's naiveté.

"I appreciate it, Brittany," Rachel manages to reply before slowly hugging the girl back. The diva briefly wondered whether her life would be as simple (and normal) as the dancer before her believed it to be.

Her thoughts are shaken when the hug suddenly ends and Brittany begins turning her around, facing her towards the sinks and mirrors. "Let me help," the girl spoke excitedly as she began fussing over Rachel's hair. And with a quick fix, the diva's transformation was completed with the custom ponytail trademark of all cheerleaders.

"Perfect," Brittany exclaims before looping arms with the brunette and strolling off. Luckily, Rachel managed to grab her duffel bag off the floor – having fallen previously due to the unexpected hug – before they exited arm-in-arm.

The future starlet tried hard to keep up, both in strides and the conversation, as the blonde rambled off the randomn-est of discussions.

* * *

Meanwhile, taking place in a nearby office, an argument was begging to erupt. And, as usual, Sue Sylvester and William Schuester were present; both stood at opposite sides of the room while Figgins sat at his desk.

"What is it this time?" Figgins questioned, effectively starting the dispute.

"She is deliberately trying to steal Rachel from the Glee Club!" Will proclaimed with an outstretched finger.

Sue straightened, pushing off the bookshelf Figgins kept in his office, before slowly approaching her curly-haired nemesis.

"First off," Sue began before slapping the accusing finger away, "Don't point fingers unless you're willing to lose them."

Will only narrowed his eyes in response.

"And second, I'm not surprised you would reference a girl as some property you can steal." Sue turned to look at Figgins. "That's sexism right there. I suggest you report him right away or I will." Turning back to face Will, Sue crossed her arms before staring staunchly at her unworthy opponent. "Lastly, I don't need to steal anything of yours, not that you own my new flyer."

"Oh, **your** new flyer?" Will retorts with emphasizes on the word 'your'.

Sue doesn't hesitate with her response. "All my Cheerios sign a basic contact allowing me full command of their lives – within certain means, of course. So essentially, yes, I do own the Cheerios," she stops momentarily to smile at her unrelenting nuisance, "Don't worry, William. This is only to ensure that the girls will be topnotch in their performances."

"Contracts?" Will questions as his face scrunched up in slight disgust. Shaking his head, he continued on with his remarks. "You can't be serious."

"I'm always serious," Sue answers before straightening her tracksuit and strutting off towards the bookshelf she had left earlier. Picking up the folder resting on the cabinet top the bookshelves were situated on, Sue proceeded with pulling out two copies of neatly stapled papers. "And, to show you how serious I am, I brought you each a copy of Rachel Berry's contract," the woman proclaims as she produced said items.

Will was the first to grab the papers right away as Sue drops the other copy on top of Figgins's desk. Skimming the first few pages, Will soon flipped to the end to see a bona fide signature of Rachel's, complete with a gold star sticker, effectively sealing the agreement.

"I can't believe it," Will mutters.

Shaking himself out of the slight funk, Will continued in his protest. "Rachel would never voluntarily join the Cheerios. You must have coerced her somehow," the man reasoned.

"Or maybe you just don't know your students as well as you thought."

Will didn't let Sue's retort – although it struck a chord – deter him. Turning towards Figgins, he tried addressing the situation to the supposed higher authority.

"Principal Figgins, you cannot let this farce continue on. It's obvious that Sue," once again he pointed an accusing finger, "Is only trying to monopolize Rachel's time. Or, at the very least, demoralize the girl using the other Cheerios. Why else would she want Rachel on her team?"

Figgins only wordlessly shrugged, busily reading Sue's contract and quite unsure on how to handle Will's protests.

Off to the side, Sue only rolled her eyes; it seemed like SpongeHair SquareChin would never learn. Leaning against the bookshelf once more, and crossing her arms, the track-suited woman began her defending arguments.

"Tsk tsk, William," she starts. "You make it seem like the girl's a one-trick pony." Again Sue smiled that devious smile, the one where she obviously knew something that no one else did.

Will hated that smile.

"Did you know the little monkey actually has some skills that extend over to dance, gymnastics, and **other** aspects that make her a perfect candidate for being a Cheerio? If you don't believe me, then maybe her plethora of awards and first place trophies would convince you."

Will only looked shocked that Rachel was (or is) a gymnast. He knew the girl took dance – ballet, obviously – but Rachel always seemed so focused on singing and Broadway. Will never thought that Rachel would strive to excel in any other areas.

And so he could only stutter and fumble over his next choice of words. His attempts were proving to become rather pathetic – and deliciously fantastic Sue thought.

The Cheerios' coach didn't hesitate to take the reins of continuing what was starting to become a one-sided conversation.

"And if you'd bother reading the contract in full," Sue unfolded her arms, "Then you'd see that an extra clause was made in regards to your precious Glee Club." Pausing in her speech, the woman took out a small pair of reading glasses she kept in the pockets of her track suit. Sue blinked a couple of times for clarity before producing her own copy of Rachel's contract from the folder she carried. Flipping to the near end, the woman began reading.

"No **known** attempts will be made to ensure any Cheerio activities within Miss Sylvester's control would overlap with Glee Club's scheduled activities." Taking off her glasses, Sue faced Will once more. "I'd like you to notice the emphasis on the word 'known', William. I just can't always have my Cheerios work according to your schedule. I need some leeway as well."

"This doesn't disprove the fact that you're still planning something, Sue," Will argues.

"Squawk, squawk, squawk." Sue gestures with one hand, motioning it in representation of Will's attempted henpecking. "Try pestering someone else about your disillusionment of misgivings," she continues before turning towards the other room's quite silent occupant, "Figgins!"

"Actually, Will," the principal immediately jumps in, "Contracts are a good thing. See here, Sue also included this clause: 'Any injuries, both physical and/or mental, sustained are of the recipient's responsibility themselves. Miss Sylvester cannot be blamed for the Cheerio's own mistakes.' Now the school doesn't need to worry about any lawsuits coming from the cheerleaders."

Will only shook his head at Figgins's entire focus surrounded on concerns for the school instead of a student's current (and possibly dire) situation.

Sue only smirked as she put away her glasses and closed the folder in her hands. Satisfaction was a feeling that she'd always got used to easily. But feeling satisfied was never enough for Sue Sylvester; the woman needed to see her opponents obliterated for their audacity to butt heads with her.

Coincidentally, the appearance of a certain student just outside the principal's office was exactly what Sue had in mind to draw first blood. Strolling across the office, Sue ignored what other spew Will was attempting to feed Figgins to take Rachel off the Cheerios.

"Just last week Sue had been turning a blind eye towards Rachel's presence. And now she's acknowledging the girl as her newest Cheerio? Doesn't that seem odd to you?" Will complained, quite persistent in his cause.

Approaching the office doors, Sue turned to face the other two occupants of the room. "How about we just ask the girl in question, herself, how she feels about this?" And with swift movements, Sue had all the doors – both Figgins's and Donna's₃ – open and promptly called out to the nearby Cheerio.

"Berry! Come on in here for a moment," the coach ordered.

Figgins and Will watched as Rachel – in all her Cheerio galore – spoke a few words with Brittany before approaching the principal's office. Her eyebrows scrunched up slightly in confusion, obviously wondering about her requested presence. No matter, the girl didn't hesitate in her steps; seemingly positive on her later deductions of the situation.

"What do you think about the Cheerios, Berry?" Sue asked, straight to the point.

Rachel was quiet for a split second in thought before answering. "They aren't all quite what I've expected."

"See! My Cheerios are getting along just fine," Sue proclaims before shooing Rachel back out the office. The girl didn't protest and quickly followed orders, rejoining Brittany who stood outside waiting.

"Rachel wai–" Will began, moving towards the door, only for Sue to cut him off both mid-sentence and in his path.

"William!" Sue admonishes in a slight reprimanding tone. Still blocking Will's pathway to the door, Sue crosses her arms as she remained there. "The girl's obviously trying to get to class. And, if I had to theorized, you're the only person around that's trying to monopolize Berry's time."

"Me?" Will literally squawked in surprise as he backed up some. He should have known Sue was going to try to turn everything around on him.

Uncrossing her arms, Sue stood to her full height – the differences in stature between Sue and Will seemingly magnifying. The towering woman started her march forward, forcing Will to stumble back to avoid getting pushed over – or worse, trampled on.

"You can't handle the fact what talent your little Glee Club has is deciding to do a little outside performing on the side," Sue pauses to look at Figgins, "Personally, I say he's just jealous that his little star might end up leaving his sorry pathetic a–"

"Sue! That's enough!" Figgins immediately interjects before Sue could finish with her insulting commentary.

"And Will, unless you can legitimately show that Miss Sylvester here coerced Rachel into joining the Cheerios, you cannot be throwing wild accusations around," Figgins concluded before the arguments could start all over again. He swears the two are like children when one another are involved, always bickering to no end.

Sue smiled that awful smile once again. "That's right, William. Just because you don't have much of one doesn't mean you can go off willy-nilly and try to ruin my reputation," she explains before leaving the office.

"Out of my way!" she suddenly shouts before pushing some students off her taken path and into the walls.

"I can't believe this," Will remarks before exiting the office as well.

Figgins only hoped they didn't darken his office with their presence again. Or, at least, any time soon. He then popped in two pills of Advil from the bottle he always kept in his drawer for situations like these.

* * *

First period classes had only just ended and already Rachel found herself being confronted by Jacob Ben Israel while on her way to her next class.

"So Rachel, everyone wants to know what brought about the recent changes?" the bespectacled boy asked before pressing forward the digital tape recorder he recently brought.

Rachel only shoved the intruding object away from her face before turning a corner. "Leave me alone, Jacob," she demanded.

As usual, the boy proved persistent and continued on with his already aggravating interview of the recently made Cheerio. "And how exactly did you get Sue Sylvester to agree to bring you on as one of her Cheerios?"

The silence stretched unanimously as only the shuffling of passersby permeated the air. Again Jacob tried to get an answer with another question.

"Brittany seems to have taken an instant liking to you. Care to comment on that rather fast relationship between the two of you?" Jacob offered with the wagging of his eyebrows.

Rachel merely rolls her eyes at the obvious suggestion being made before continuing with her disregard of the hormonal pervert. Fortunately, a view of her next class appeared and the brunette was prompt to speed up her entrance into the room. Taking a seat, the brunette remained at the edge of the chair, ready to move should Jacob have followed her inside. Luckily, after an absence of afros and constant questioning, Rachel let herself relax slightly. Even though the hounding wouldn't cease any time soon, Jacob – at the very least – couldn't pester her during class time. Of course, after that thought, a shout was given and heard by all nearby.

"The truth will be known, Rachel!"

The sole Cheerio in the classroom could only groan.

* * *

Chatter easily filled the air. It was nothing odd or irregular, a pretty common thing actually; most people preferred to talk while having lunch.

But Rachel was beginning to second guess her decision.

In her haste to get to Cheerio practice this morning, Rachel had forgotten to bring along her lunch. Her vegan lunch. Momentarily, the brunette halted her thoughts to curse that blasted minute that did in fact derail her from her usually well-kept schedule. If only she didn't need to rush at the last minute to get into the car with Daddy, which resulted with an unfortunately forgotten tofurkey sandwich left behind on the kitchen countertop.

Now, in an attempt, to quell the rumbling in her tummy and to satisfy the three meals a day quota, Rachel had relented to entering the school cafeteria. She tried not to stomp her foot in frustration at this other change in her schedule; by now she would have been in the auditorium or music room eating her specially packed lunch.

Briefly Rachel wondered whether anything else would go wrong today.

Taking a deep breath, the girl emptied her thoughts and walked forward. Luckily, no one seemed to notice her presence; probably believing her to be one of the other Cheerios. Approaching the available food stalls in the school cafeteria, Rachel grabbed one of the red trays off a clean stack and examined her choices.

From her inspection of the variety she was presented with, Rachel highly doubted anything was nutritious – much less vegan friendly. Again the brunette regretted her decision to appear here and turned to return the tray and leave.

Her actions were immediately stopped when Rachel instead faced two relatively unknown (but familiar) Cheerios. A 'hello' was all Rachel managed before the two had whisked her off towards a table easily recognizable to all. It was the table reserved for the Cheerios.

Expected to sit down, Rachel decided to stubbornly remain standing to show her displeasure. Although it was a bit awkward to be standing around in front of the other Cheerios with an empty red tray still in her hands.

Quinn simply arched an eyebrow in slight contempt before waving at the empty seat, a silent command aimed at the difficult girl standing before her.

Rachel only complied after noticing most of the entire student body staring at her, setting the empty tray down on the table as she did. Folding her hands and straightening her posture, the recently snatched girl looked up at the two sitting across from her. "Quinn," she begins before turning to the other, "Santana."

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Rachel innocently questions after acknowledging the presence of the two most feared girls in school.

The timed appearance of the two's smiles only sets off the sixth sense Rachel always claimed to have. And the girl swore she heard every chair squeaked slightly as the chatter in the school cafeteria died to a lull.

No matter, Quinn continued beaming at Rachel, her pearly whites distracting the diva slightly. "We're just wondering how you're adjusting to life as a Cheerio now."

"Yeah, Berry. The life of a Cheerio requires sacrifice," added Santana.

"Majorly," an unnamed Cheerio commented a bit too loudly. The girl barely had time to rethink her unintended interruption before the combined glares of Quinn and Santana were unleashed. Thankfully, it wasn't the full force of the version as Rachel could hear the girl attempt to mumble out a small apology.

During that time, Rachel took the opportunity to ponder her current situation – happening in the school cafeteria of all places. It was quite obvious the two girls were up to something. And Rachel definitely didn't miss the slight inflection on the name 'Berry' when Santana had spoken. It was somewhat amusing that the Latina would have such trouble acknowledging her without the usual derogative nicknames.

Rachel quickly swept the small smile off her face when the two Cheerios refocused their attentions on her.

Once again Quinn started the conversation.

"Since we're teammates now, not just in Glee but also in the Cheerios, we thought that we'd point out some of your flaws."

"Like any good teammate would do," Santana finishes with a smirk.

Rachel automatically deduced where this was going.

And, as per usual, Quinn was the first to attack. "It's nice that you're a vegan and all but," Quinn trails off for a moment, "You could still stand to lose a few pounds. I suggest skipping lunch for the rest of the week. Maybe dinner as well."

Rachel's hands tightened as she could noticeably see the barely hidden smirks passed all around.

"And shaving," Santana interjects before motioning around her chin, "I think I could still see a few stubbles there."

The unnecessary coughs to hide the semi-choked laughter of the other Cheerios only caused the ridiculed girl to clench her jaws.

Breathing in deeply through her nose, Rachel repeated the usual mantra in her head whenever feeling particular stressed. It wouldn't do to act all riled up. And it certainly wouldn't benefit her to allow the others insight on how much they were affecting her. Unclenching her jaw and unfolding her hands, Rachel calmly stood up.

"Thank you for your suggestions but they are, after all, your opinions. And everyone is entitled to them," she remarks before heading off.

She easily sidestepped Brittany who just arrived.

* * *

The double doors let out a small squeak, startling the tall blonde who pushed them. She certainly didn't expect the noise when she decided to take a peek inside the auditorium. And luckily the brown paper bag in her hands remained just rightfully there – in her hands and not flat on the floor.

Walking through, Brittany took a few steps in before her gaze immediately fell upon the wide stage. She suppressed the twinge of disappointment when she realized it was devoid of a certain Cheerio-dressed diva.

She had already searched the music room and the few restrooms she'd seen on the way here. Brittany became hesitant in her actions now, unsure of where else to go. She supposes she could try checking the other remaining restrooms here in McKinley. Frowning a little at the thought, Brittany turned to leave.

Or, at least, that was the idea until she heard the slight scuffing of someone's shoes against the floor; the miniscule sound magnified by the vast expanse of the empty auditorium. Turning back, Brittany walked further into the auditorium as her eyes narrowed to find the source of the noise.

"Rachel?" she called out, looking left and right. The auditorium was filled with silence once more until she hears it, the unmistakable squeak of a chair whenever someone shifts in their seat a particular way.

It takes a while – mainly due to Brittany's stubbornness to leave – but the girl eventually finds Rachel sitting in one of the many audience chairs. Less than a minute passed before Brittany relocated herself to be standing by the seat next to Rachel's.

Carefully sitting, the blonde watched as the discovered girl continued to stare up at the stage before them. Not once had the brunette turned to look her way, unnerving Brittany on whether her presence was appreciated or not. Never one to ponder too long, she faced forward as well to stare at the stage that the diva liked so much. If Rachel didn't want her to stay, then surely the girl would have said so.

Silence easily befalls the two girls. Brittany hesitant on what to say and Rachel unsure of why the blonde had bothered to find her. A few more minutes passed before one of them breaks, curious for an answer.

"There seems to be this habit of you finding me today," Rachel briefly comments.

Brittany only seemed to smile at that before replying herself. "Well, I watch you a lot so I guess that helps."

Unexpectedly stunned, Rachel doesn't bother to say anymore. And Brittany doesn't bother to push out a conversation. Things were totally fine the way they were, especially when she could see the faint blush that colored the other girl's face. Suffice to say, Brittany was quite proud of herself. Until she remembered something of importance and began shifting around in her seat, confusing the little diva with her actions.

Not sure what else to expect, Rachel became startled when Brittany suddenly whipped out something from a brown paper bag she hadn't noticed before.

"Wanna go halfsies with my PB&J?" the blonde asked enthusiastically before holding up the offered item inside a sandwich shaped case. In addition, a variety of baby ducks and rainbow stickers plastered all over the case easily made its way into Rachel's sight.

Brittany only furrowed her eyebrows slightly when the girl failed to answer her question. However, the worry easily dissipates when a particular thought struck her. "Oh, don't worry! It's totally all vegan friendly," she adds a moment later.

Rachel felt her mouth open slightly in surprise. However, the eagerness in Brittany's eyes keeps her from staying stunned for too long and, smiling softly, Rachel nods her acceptance.

* * *

With the school bell ringing, signaling the dismissal of the class, Rachel was quick to pack up her belongings as did the other students around. There wasn't much stuff out – just the usual notebook and pencils – so she was prompt in her actions to leave. Backpack held tight in her hands, Rachel was unfortunately deterred when a voice called out to signal her attention.

"Rachel!"

Momentarily the addressed girl wondered whether she could feign ignorance and leave.

"Rachel," the voice repeated before a hand was placed upon her right shoulder.

A chance of escape gone, the brunette could only let out a small sigh before reluctantly turning to face the person requesting her presence.

"Yes, Mr Schue?" she relented.

"If possible, I would like a word with you?" the man politely asked, although it was obvious that he expected her to stay as instructed.

Rachel stiffly nodded her agreement – best to get things over with now than later – before watching the rest of her fellow students drift out the classroom. They both waited until the door finally stayed shut after the last exit.

"Rachel, I'm worried about you," Mr Schue began.

"Worried?" the girl simply repeats.

"Yes, I am. You're on the Cheerios now and that's highly unlike you," he continued.

"Highly unlike me," Rachel only reiterated from his last statement.

Not noticing that the girl in question has yet to actually contribute to the conversation, Mr Schue furthered his explanations. He truly believed that he'd be able to reach out to his student. And, in extension, throw a wrench into whatever plans Sue was concocting at the moment.

"I know that you wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for Sue Sylvester." Crossing his arms, Mr Schue allowed a slight pause to enter before looking the girl in the eyes. "Tell me Rachel, what is it that she has on you? Or did she promise you something in return? You can't trust her, Rachel," he reasoned.

Staring blankly at her Spanish teacher, Rachel couldn't help but feel slighted. Mr Schuester may have had the best of intentions in mind but all she could hear now were insults – no matter how unintentional – belittling her abilities. The manner in which he approached the situation demonstrated his exact assumption of whether she could receive a spot on the Cheerio squad without some foul play going on behind the scenes.

Her eyes narrowing slightly, Rachel readies herself for the defending arguments that were ready to burst forth. She had never let anyone dictate the extent of her skills. And, disregarding the fact that Sue Sylvester had coerced her, Rachel Berry certainly did have the abilities and the talent to make it as a cheerleader if she so wanted.

"Whether or not I trust **Coach** Sylvester," Rachel stresses the title 'coach' to show her (reluctant) acceptance of the woman as an instructor, "It's my own choice. Also, to **my** knowledge, I can certainly attest to the fact that I have 'the goods' to attract the notice of a six-time consecutive winning National Championships coach!"

Mr Schue's jaw dropped slight, simply stunned by the sudden rant.

Rachel paid no heed and swiftly turned to leave. But, just as quickly, she turned right back; her ponytail easily tossing from side to side with her turbulent actions. Apparently her rant wasn't quite over as she had more to add.

"And need I remind you that Glee Club is not the only activity I'm in? I'm also actively involved with a multitude of other clubs. For instance, Speech Club, Mock United Nations Club, Renaissance –"

"Exactly!" Mr Schue interrupts. "You're putting way too much on your plate and sooner or later you're going to come apart at the seams. Sue's probably hoping – no, waiting – for this!"

Rachel gave pause as Mr Schue did admittedly make a good point. Yet, no matter how truthful his statement, the brunette made notice a critical observation of her oh-so-concerned teacher. And it infuriated her.

"You didn't seem all that worried when I **wasn't** on the Cheerios," Rachel comments before exiting the room in a dramatic fashion, effectively ending the discussion.

A perfect storm out.

* * *

Seeing Rachel leave Mr Schue's classroom in a huff, Jacob strongly believed that now was the best time to confront the girl for another interview as angry people tended to let things slip. And, without their composure, Jacob could easily get the news worthy for his blog to feed the gossip hungry school.

Powerwalking over to his new destination, the bespectacled boy quickly shoved his digital tape recorder forward. With his other hand, Jacob held up the index cards he recently made with the prewritten notes and questions.

"Seems like Quinn and Santana feel threatened by your presence in the Cheerios. How are you going to handle their opposition?" he questioned right away.

Rachel only brushed past him, quite intent to ignore his presence. No matter, her actions only spurred him on. And, keeping up with the girl's suddenly long strides, Jacob attempted to match Rachel step for step.

"Will you be quitting Glee Club to become a full-time Cheerio?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Rachel answers dismissively, giving Jacob his first real comment for the interview.

Fumbling in his steps after turning a corner, the afro boy tried desperately to follow along the hurried pace set by the girl.

"Some people say that you've got some sort of dirt on Miss Sylvester. Is this true? Or does she have something on you? Can you attest to either of these rumors?"

Jacob barely had time to react, much less flinch, as he soon found himself pressed up against a wall. In front, Rachel stood aggressively with a hand angrily fisted in his shirt. Eying his sudden change of surroundings, Jacob noticed that they were far from any prying eyes making the moment all the more precious towards the continuing existence of his life. The boy never felt more turned on and frightened all at once.

"Listen here and listen well. I don't appreciate being poked and prodded at like some sort of newly discovered species in a zoo exhibit," Rachel began in a lowered, harsh voice.

Jacob only fervently nodded his understanding.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at his interruption, promptly all movements to cease with the bespectacled boy. "I suggest you leave me alone," she warned through gritted teeth before pressing down slightly on a quivering chest, "Now."

Jacob only gulped before momentarily eying the backpack Rachel held in her other hand, wondering if she was going to whack him with the probably book-filled item. He dumbly nods once in fright before letting out a stuttered 'okay'. The moment Rachel lets go of his shirt Jacob scurried off.

After turning a few select corners, Jacob immediately ran behind some rows of lockers and flattened his back against the wall. He waited some precious minutes before sticking his head out to check the hallways for the appearance of a specific brunette. Believing the diva residing outside the immediate vicinity, Jacob let out a huge breath and wiped the accumulated sweat off his forehead.

That previous moment he shared with Rachel was the most intimidating and hottest experience of his life. He had nearly fainted at the almost nonexistent distance between them during the entire encounter. It was heaven the way Rachel acknowledged his existence and became so domineering. He liked his women fierce and Rachel had certainly become fiercer in recent times.

"So hot," Jacob whines pathetically before rushing off to the nearest restroom.

* * *

The silence was unnerving as was the woman sitting across from her. Taking in a steady breath, Rachel resisted the urge to drum her fingers, tap her foot, or anything that would distract from the situation she found herself in once again. The abhorrent ticking from the clock sitting on the desk only alerted her to the extent of how much time had actually passed since she entered. However, Rachel managed to keep her composure; she couldn't very well burst out into hysterics over nothing, as nothing has yet to occur.

After a few more obnoxious ticking from the clock, Rachel mentally expressed relief when the other occupant in the room spoke.

"You have a Glee Club meeting today."

"I know," Rachel replies promptly, her answer short and curt.

"Think you can handle it?"

Rachel didn't answer. Not because she couldn't, but because she wasn't given the time. Before the girl could respond with an adequate answer, the Cheerio coach had spoken up once more.

"Here," the woman began before rummaging in her desk drawer and tossing an item out at the brunette, "Just thought you might like the original back."

With quick reflexes, Rachel easily caught the flung object and promptly looks the small item over. The recognition is instantaneous as she realizes what exactly she was holding.

Sue only chuckled when she notices the slight confusion apparent on the girl's face. "Don't worry. I've made plenty of copies and backup copies. So you can have yours back," she answers before effectively dismissing her guest with a single gesture.

Rachel only nods faintly before getting up and out of the office. Once outside, she looks down at the tiny, clear case she held. By itself the case was nothing but the memory card held inside meant everything.

Closing her hand, the brunette tightens her hold over the returned item before heading towards her locker. She contemplated whether to have the memory card's contents deleted or not. But one thing was for sure: she could not let this fall into someone else's hands again.

People already thought she was a freak. This memory card would only cement it.

* * *

Pausing, Rachel took in a deep breath before calming her nerves. The day was already filled with various encounters – no surprise there – and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Tilting her head slightly, the brunette spied through the small vertical window the number of Glee Clubbers already inside the music room. Usually she was always the first arrival; obviously this wasn't going to be the case today as the entirety of Glee Club was already residing within.

The diva could already feel the stress levels beginning to build once more.

Squaring her shoulders, Rachel opened the door and confidently strolled in. It was time to face the music – pun definitely intended. And with a smile, she greeted the others as usual and took a seat nearest to the front. Again, her actions were of typical Rachel Berry fashion. The only difference was that she happened to be a part of the Cheerios now and was wearing the familiar red and white outfit. Smoothing out the front of her skirt, Rachel did her best to ignore the outright gawking from some of the members of Glee Club.

The silence lasted but a few seconds.

"You look nice, Rachel."

Although the tall shadow looming over her was a huge hint, Rachel looked up to see Finn standing slightly hunched with his hands in his pockets. The boy's gangly height was made all the more pronounced with her already short stature being seated. But despite the (no doubt) awkward scene, Finn still presented her with one of those half-smiles of his.

"Thank you, Finn," she begins before glancing over the boy's own outfit. An unbuttoned plaid shirt with a white tee and blue jeans completed his usual attire. "You look adequate as well," she finishes before facing towards the front once again.

"Umm… thanks?" the quarterback accepts, mildly confused. It was obvious that the boy was struggling with whether the use of the word 'adequate' implied a positive connotation or not. Luckily, Finn didn't spend too much time pondering before shuffling off back to his original seat by Quinn.

The blonde didn't hesitate to lash out, directly smacking him at his midsection with the back of her right hand.

Falling back in his chair some, Finn immediately brought up his arms to block any more incoming blows. "Ow! What was that for?" he sputtered out, worried whether or not Quinn was going to hit him again. Or worse, that Santana who happened to sit nearby was going to join in on the unexpected attack.

Continuing to look at his girlfriend in confusion, Finn only furrowed his eyebrows further when Quinn aimed a particularly harsh 'don't be an idiot' remark at him. There was a pause as Finn's mouth dropped partially in thought; the tiny gears in the quarterback's head beginning to work at a pace most convenient for him.

Santana merely rolled her eyes, sufficiently glad she didn't have to deal with this oaf on a daily basis like Quinn did. The girl really got the short end of the stick picking Finn Hudson to stand in as the other half of McKinley's supposed 'power couple'. Whatever floats her boat.

"I was just giving her a compliment. Don't girls like that?" Finn questioned, a bit hesitant on whether that was the right response or not.

Santana's scoff was a huge indication that it was not.

"Ahem!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat – in a rather obvious fashion – catches everyone's attention. And, as Kurt stood to smooth out the front of his Marc Jacobs jacket, the culprit of the small interruption was easily pinpointed. It wasn't long before he spoke out with his own commentaries.

"As much as I'd love to watch your little lovers' spat," the boy pauses slightly to walk down the small step in front of his chair, "There are more important matters to discuss." Without fail, Kurt headed towards the notable Cheerio that had recently caused an uproar in McKinley High.

Rachel's muscles tensed slightly in wait for the expected confrontation.

"If you were looking for attention, Rachel," the effeminate boy began before eyeing Rachel's new but familiar outfit, "Then you've certainly got it."

Rachel only huffed, rather unamused with the expected accusation. Just because she regularly spoke about her Broadway dreams didn't exactly meant she'd crave attention like some sort of crack addict. Her only requirement was that her audience gave her the full attention she deserved whenever she performed. It was only common courtesy. Besides, Rachel knew her talents would always capture people's attention. Although, at this point in her life, most of the attention seemed to land more on the negative spectrum of things.

"That is absolutely not the case," the future Broadway star stated firmly.

"Really? Then please enlighten us," another voice skeptically adds in.

Turning her head towards the two ascending rows behind her, Rachel observes Mercedes arching an eyebrow with arms firmly crossed. In addition, the larger girl had moved up in her seat, ready to jump up and defend her boy should the need arise.

Rachel tried not to fault the two gossip moguls. She'd easily fit into their shoes should the situation be reversed.

Taking a subtle glance around the room, Rachel noted the undivided attention of her audience – even the ones that tried to subtly hide their interest. She momentarily locked eyes with Mr Schue, who had crossed his arms and leaned back against the piano, effectively staying out of the conversation unless things got out of hand. Rachel would have liked to believe that he was perhaps letting her state her side of the story. Deep down, however, she knew Mr Schue was only trying to figure out the angle of Sue Sylvester's newest scheme to break apart the Glee Club.

And, quite frankly, Rachel wasn't the least bit worried. This was simply one of those moments where her constantly honed acting abilities were brought to great use. No one – absolutely no one – would disregard her performance; she had that much faith in her talents. Let's not forget that Mr Sandy Ryerson was no longer the Glee Club director.

"I'm simply expanding my repertoire," Rachel begins, legs crossing and hands folding. "I do plan to be a triple threat you know; not only excelling in music but in theater and dance as well. And although it may not seem like it, the Cheerios do go through rigorous exercises that keep them quite fluid and limber. I hope to achieve the same level of flexibility each Cheerio no doubt has achieved under Miss Sylvester's tutelage," Rachel reasoned.

But of course, people still believed what they wanted to believe.

"Spare us the garbage, Rachel, and tell us the truth," Artie comments as he wheeled himself forward. "You're just hoping that the popularity would rub off on you."

"Like that would ever happen," Santana muttered. Although it was mainly spoken to herself, a majority of the Gleeks still managed to hear the Latina's snide remark.

Any further comments were halted, however, when Brittany – sitting next to Santana per usual, though reluctantly this day – decided to join the conversation.

"It's obvious why Rachel joined the Cheerio," the tall blonde mentions in general.

Everyone's heads practically swerved as one to look at the girl expectantly, Rachel included; a few chairs even squeaked at the abrupt motion. They all wondered what the dancer's insight was.

Silence blanketed the room for a few seconds before Brittany spoke again.

"We're hot. She's hot. And together we're just hotness personified," she explained as if the answer was the most obvious of all.

Everyone's mind seemed to have short-circuited for the moment as they tried to comprehend what exactly Brittany had just declared so confidently. Rachel was the first to react – though it wasn't much of one – when she let her mouth fall open oh so slightly.

The multitude of delayed reactions worked to Brittany's advantage as she continued with her totally valid – in her mind – explanation. "But it's mainly because the Cheerios are hot. That's why Rachel joined," she concluded with a nod of her head.

Nothing could have conveyed the variety of emotions felt by the rest of Brittany's statement.

Rachel only opens and closes her mouth a few times, not quite sure what to say or how exactly to respond. Luckily, no one notices the little diva's stupor as everyone else didn't fare any better.

Oddly enough, however, it was Puck who managed to coherently react before the rest.

"Right on," Puck agrees before turning to high five Brittany, who was in the seat next to him. "I totally don't mind seeing Rachel in those Cheerio skirts," a slight pause follow as his attention focuses on said girl, "But then again, I'm fine with seeing you out of them as well." The Mohawk boy did an upward nod before giving the brunette a wink and a grin.

Santana, as well as a few others, tried not to gag at the blatant one-sided flirting being displayed before them.

Rachel, per usual, moved to voice her outrage at the obviously lewd suggestion. "Noah! I will not –"

Her objection's thwarted from completion by way of Brittany's hand promptly smacking Puck at the back of his head. "Don't talk about her like that," the tall blonde remarked before Mr Schue decided it was time to interrupt.

"Moving on!" the man began before motioning towards the white board. "Does anyone have any suggestions for Invitationals?"

It was obvious that Mr Schue was attempting to stray away from the previous conversation but no one complained. Eagerly, everyone else was going along with the opening Mr Schue had provided. That last conversation was getting a bit weird. Rachel Berry, hot?

No one notices the look Brittany sent Puck's way and the boy shrinking back in response.

Some time later during the middle of Glee's discussion for song selections and the chosen singers, Rachel became contemplative in her own thoughts; most revolving around a particular blonde. Biting her lower lip, she discreetly turned to catch a glimpse at the not-so-far-away dancer. Rachel was only greeted with an immediate wink; the blonde obviously didn't mind being caught staring. Blushing slightly, Rachel quickly faced forward once more trying to shake the feeling of Brittany's eyes on her.

The talented dancer's earlier declaration in the auditorium suddenly marched to the forefront of her mind.

Her thoughts had halted abruptly but, no matter, Rachel was able to continue with her earlier reflection. It was kind of nice to have someone in her corner for once.

And the quick beating of her heart hinted at something that she wasn't quite ready to understand yet.

-End Chapter Three-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ₁ Stacy's the name of the girl whom Rachel replaced as a Cheerio.
> 
> ₂ Not sure if Sue does actually take horse estrogen. Will does mentions it once as a rumor.
> 
> ₃ Carrie is a 1976 supernatural horror film based on the novel written by Stephen King.
> 
> ₄ Donna’s the name of Principal Figgins’s secretary.


	4. Practice Makes Perfect

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.

* * *

Perhaps Rachel had gotten ahead of herself when she thought the day had started off well enough. First and foremost, she committed to ensuring she brought her vegan lunch with her this time – no more undesirable detours to ruin her day, thank her lucky stars. Afterwards, Cheerio practice proceeded to be as awful as expected; probably more so due to the multitude of questionable 'warm-up' exercises Sue had drawn up this day. The brunette highly doubts endangering a student's well-being through various efforts to run over lagging cheerleaders was legal, especially when the relentless woman decided to chase them around the track field in that modified – probably illegally as well – golf cart of hers.

No matter how appalling the attempts, however, Rachel understood that fierce drive for perfection Coach Sylvester clearly demands from her squad – even if the woman went about it through crazy methods to achieve her goals. To never settle for less than perfection was a quality that she admittedly shared with the formidable woman. Unfortunately this mutual similarity was marred by the fact that Sue was willing to bargain with the knowledge about a certain hidden aspect of Rachel's life; everyone else – especially Dad and Daddy – had been kept in the dark.

Abruptly, her musings break when she trips and subsequently falls.

Rachel immediately winces when she hits the ground; the slip-up had been quite unexpected. Managing to land on all fours, the girl's knees and palms dug harshly into the ground. Small jolts of pain traveled up and down her arms and legs briefly before dissipating completely.

Still, Rachel winced once more for good measure (and to keep up with appearances).

Luckily nothing is bruised or broken, except probably a smidgen of her pride for letting her attention wander during a routine rehearsal. Without complaint the brunette gets back up, brushing off the small amounts of grass randomly sticking onto parts of her uniform, hands, and legs along the way.

There's an absence of whispers or any hushed voices but Rachel doesn't doubt the presence of the various barbs uncharacteristically resting just at the tip of their – the other Cheerios – tongues. The girl briefly wonders why Coach Sylvester had yet to criticize her (rather rare) moment of clumsiness. Disregarding the unusual silence, the recently instated Cheerio elected to keep her head held high and eyes forward. In addition, Rachel tries to ignore the penetrating gaze from the track-suited woman standing atop the stairs to the bleachers.

Not a beat later did a loud feedback noise reverberate across the field, signaling the incoming use of a bullhorn. "Again from the start, sloppy babies!" was the prompt, magnified shout before everyone moved into place and the music started once more.

After completing a quarter of the routine, Rachel finds herself uncharacteristically face down on the grass once more – this occurrence proving to become a sudden new habit of hers. Repeating previous actions, the fallen brunette warily stood and eyed those around her. The few Cheerios closest automatically turned their heads and attempted to present an air of innocence. Suspicions immediately, not to mention easily, seep into the petite girl's mind.

"Get with the program, Berry! Start paying attention!"

Jarred out of her rapid, calculating thoughts – obviously other forces were at work – Rachel proceeded to her designated spot in response to Sue's shouts. Briefly, in passing, the diva noted Quinn's crossed arms and Santana rolling her eyes in obvious irritation. Then the music starts and she begins her performance once again.

* * *

 _Blundering buffoons_ , Sue's first and only thought as she watched her Cheerios continue on with their mediocre performance. She should have stopped the circus act – "My grandmother could do better flips than that!" she suddenly bellowed – but Sue Sylvester was curious.

The errors, glaringly obvious to her hawk eyes, were overlooked in favor of the opportunity the situation was presenting. Berry may have the skills and talent, but now it was time to test the girl's spirit and mentality.

Besides, she could always punish the Cheerios later for this insubordination. Until then, her newest Cheerio needed to get in touch with the current situation real soon.

When one of the dancing monkeys begins to move out of sync with the rest of the squad, Sue knew that the real show was about to begin.

_Let's see how well Berry handles this.  
_

* * *

Halfway through the performance, Rachel (rather belatedly) spots a deliberate foot sliding into her path and – having committed to her dance moves – she could only attempt to minimize the fallout. Stumbling slightly, the brunette acted fast in regaining her balance before pressing on without fail. Rachel tried not to let her smile – originally plastered for the sake of the performance – overtake her face. However, the small high experienced from her accomplishment evaporates when the music comes to an abrupt halt.

"Get up you bumbling idiots!"

Momentarily stunned, Rachel remained as she was with her arms raised high before dropping them half a second later; she didn't want to look like an idiot, especially with others around.

Following the direction of everyone's focus, Rachel easily spots the three Cheerios sprawled across the grass, their limbs tangled with one another. A familiar sabotaging cheerleader – Rachel didn't forget the red hair and freckles – was easily recognizable as one of the three. And, watching as the other girl's face flushed red in embarrassment, Rachel felt the satisfaction of a swift justice for once.

Smothering the response to smile, the diva quickly turned away from the gratifying scene; she mustn't forget the manners Dad and Daddy taught her on not laughing about others' misfortunes.

Taking a deep breath in, Rachel calmed her mind before beginning the mental preparations necessary. Despite her rather unpleasant Cheerio beginnings, the brunette was determined to let nothing else deter her. Absolutely no one was going to ruin her ability to showcase a stunning performance – becoming Broadway's leading star left no room for errors. And being on a six-time nationally recognized cheer squad is simply a stepping-stone towards fulfilling her destined greatness.

Of course (a while after) when Brittany catches her eyes and delivers a particularly stunning smile, Rachel tries not to make a spectacle of herself when she unexpectedly misses a step.

* * *

The rest of practice steadily spiraled into a ridiculous spectacle as various hindrances began to make itself apparent during the latter half of cheer practice.

Evidently a sudden surge of her fellow squad mates found it quite accommodating to subtly (and actively) sabotage her during certain parts of the routine – a quick nudge here and an awfully convenient placed-in-her-way foot there. Rachel found the acts highly deplorable and quite unprofessional; obviously they were trying to set her up for failure. No matter, Rachel was used to others harboring deeply rooted seeds of jealousy towards her talents – high school seemed to be a definite breeding ground for this particular behavior. She just needed to be extra careful when executing certain moves to avoid a majority of the problems. Still, the usually focused girl found it difficult (but not quite impossible) to quell her frustrations at times.

When a miniature downward curve became evident at the edges of Sue's mouth, Rachel didn't need her sixth sense to tell there was trouble brewing on the horizon.

* * *

Silence.

Even Sue's mind, typically full of schemes and insults, was uncharacteristically silent. Once the music had ended, the formidable woman simply stood where she was at the top of the staircase leading towards the bleachers; her towering presence made all the more foreboding when she refused to insult, threaten, or anything else as equally brash to break the suspense.

Sue was rather surprised by how well she resisted the urge to hurl her bullhorn down at the previously dancing monkeys. Though her right hand did twitch slightly as her grip on the metal fencing tightened at the sudden flashbacks. Those were moments of her life that she would never, ever, get back again.

Sue Sylvester only had two words for her pathetic excuse of a squad: payback time.

And oh how she loved her revenge.

Carefully eyeing the girls below, the track-suited woman watched as they fidgeted and squirmed under her silent gaze. As the seconds continued to stretch and her lack of verbal abuses persisted, Sue scrutinized each and every one of her Cheerios – only four had actually attempted to follow the routine she set out for them.

The flashbacks began to set in again and Sue had to forcibly push the moments out of her mind. She'd rather dip herself in a vat of acid than to witness that nightmare again.

When the bullhorn screeched, signaling its use, the Cheerios readied themselves for the slew of scorn undoubtedly aimed their way. Instead a calm and steady voice spoke out to them.

"Since everyone seems to have developed a talent for blundering their way through the routine, there will be a mandatory additional practice after school today. Either attend or be forcibly removed off the squad."

Her point having been made, Sue simply straightens her tracksuit before heading down the stairs and back towards her office. There was no need to watch the incoming theatrics unfold.

Besides, she could pinpoint with startling accuracy the main culprit of this disaster; there were only two Cheerios from her original squad who could develop the required nerves to go against her own words.

And Sue's word was absolute law.

* * *

Once again, the moment 'it' left the girls' locker room, Santana led the beginning of the second unofficial meeting between the Unholy Trinity. Using the mirror that hung inside at her locker door, the Latina added some finishing touches before double-checking her features.

"I guess you do have some bite after all," she casually comments before deciding to grab some lip gloss out of her locker. Applying the cosmetic', Santana continued with her comment. "Too bad all it did was jack shit."

Brittany immediately frowned at the statement, not liking the particular flow and direction the conversation was heading. Quinn, meanwhile, only thinned her lips in response as she focused on zipping up her cheer skirt.

Santana only puckered her lips once at her mirror image before tossing the lip gloss back to its original place. Shutting the locker door, she promptly turned to face the two blondes, particularly the one that was trying her best to ignore her. Crossing her arms, the Latina leaned slightly on her side against her own locker. Quinn's focus supposedly on something other than the glaring Latina didn't deter the feisty girl. In fact, the lack of a retort actually spurred her on.

"Next time try to make plans that don't result in all of us getting burnt in the process."

Her feathers metaphorically ruffled, Quinn promptly slams her locker shut with more force than necessary before firing out a quick 'why don't you plan something better?'. Stalking off in a decidedly grumpy manner, the blonde Cheerio captain didn't bother to notice how effective the other surrounding Cheerios were in swiftly getting out of her way.

Santana only shakes her head at the expected sour attitude before picking up her backpack off the small nearby bench. Leaving as well, the Latina failed to regard the unnoticed departure of another blonde.

Still, a slight smirk made itself evident on her face and briefly (oh so briefly) Santana pondered that maybe it was okay to have the midget on the team, especially if the girl was able to handle being ganged up by at least ⅔ of the squad during this morning's practice.

-End Chapter Four-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a lackluster chapter, I know. Originally I had more scenes planned, but then I noticed the length of this one particular scene; more writing than I initially imagined. As well, I just felt that I should at least upload something to let everyone know I'm still alive. I definitely love my readers, especially every time I get notified that a story of mine has a new favorite, alert, message, or review. Is it weird that I feel like screaming out in joy every time that happens? Seriously, I need to control my feelings.
> 
> Sincerest apologies to those who haven't had their favorite pairing appear in the story as of yet and are frustrated from all the Brittberry. I find Brittberry easier to write since I see Brittany as such a sweet – though not so innocent – girl and, if ever given the green light, absolutely on board with totally shacking it up with Rachel. Don't fret my readers, Santana and Quinn will follow in Brittany's footsteps. Just not right now.
> 
> And for those obsessed with Rachel's secret, you will learn of it… eventually. I just haven't quite figured out the when, the how, and the who.
> 
> Also I apologize if some – or most – of you find the romance too slow in development for your taste. Evidently, I'm one of those people who don't like to rush things. I'm sure everyone can tell this by how long it takes me to update.


	5. At the End of the Day

 

 

 

 

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. The only thing I do own is my imagination of things that will probably never ever happen. Still, a girl can dream.

* * *

Meanwhile the Glee Club members – minus those affiliated with cheerleading or football – had decided to huddle together inside the barely seen and scarcely used library of McKinley High, one of the few places they knew they wouldn't be interrupted. Or slushied, a major plus in their minds considering the sub-subpar levels they represented on the known high school totem pole.

"M-m-maybe Rachel d-does have other interests besides s-singing," Tina offered as calmly as she could. Her posture was slightly hunched and her arms already crossed, almost as if shielding herself from the possible repercussions of her answer.

"Please," Mercedes stated with a wave of her hand, already rejecting Tina's idea. "The only other interests Rachel has are hogging all the solos and flaunting that inexcusable fashion sense of hers."

From the right of the proud girl, Kurt sat on a chair with crossed legs as he busied himself by filing his nails. Even so the effeminate boy managed to keep up on the discussion at hand and, without missing a beat, voiced his own opinion. "I still don't understand how she has the ability to dress like a grandma and a toddler all at once," he commented on Rachel's deemed unfathomable – and definitely one of a kind – style.

"You've gotta admit it's pretty amazing how she manages it," Artie added from his spot next to Tina.

Meanwhile, the gothically-dressed girl had visibly deflated at the immediate dismissal and effective torching of her deemed highly improbable notion. Unfortunately, as usual, everyone else was too engrossed with their own thoughts to notice.

"I don't understand how she got on the Cheerios though," Mercedes voiced, puzzled by that startling fact.

Pausing in his movements with the nail filer, Kurt took a moment to ponder on the idea of Rachel's bizarre acceptance into the Cheerios. "Maybe she drugged the woman somehow," he suddenly theorized. And almost immediately the boy's mind began to envision the discussed diva spiking one of those protein shakes of Sue's. His eyes widen slightly in response to the wild imagery.

"My money's on blackmail. I wouldn't put it past Rachel if it got her what she wanted," Artie inputted as he crossed his arms.

"Maybe Miss S-S-Sylvester wanted Rachel t-to j-j-join?" Tina timidly suggested.

There was a momentary pause as the others stared at the Asian girl before cracking smiles all around. "Good one, Tina," Mercedes remarks as she gave the girl a friendly nudge on the arm.

Any further commentaries were placed on hold when the school bell rang, signaling the five minutes they had to attend to their scheduled classes.

Mercedes was the first to move and could be heard mumbling about 'never understanding high school'. The others promptly followed after and exited the library as well before shuffling off towards their own respective classes.

None of them knew but this wouldn't be the last time that the four would meet up again to discuss the radical changes occurring at McKinley High.

* * *

With a slight spring in her steps, Rachel approached her school locker and promptly dialed in her combination. Exchanging the binders and books on hand, the brunette hummed a little ditty as she occupied herself with preparations for her next class. Unfortunately, the small moment to herself was hindered by the sudden emitting ping from her sixth sense.

Rachel's actions slowed as she immediately listened for any disturbances. The usual chatter filled the hallways and she couldn't discern any incoming footsteps headed specifically her way – there were a lot of students currently walking through this very same hallway. Grabbing one last book, Rachel tried to subtly look around for whatever was causing her sixth sense to flare up.

"Hi Rachel!" a voice greeted enthusiastically as a familiar smiling blonde appeared immediately in her sights – or, more accurately, a few inches away from her face.

The reaction was instantaneous.

"Brittany!" Rachel exclaimed, jerking back from the close proximity. Arms and hands moving wildly, the girl hastily struggled with the books and binders she momentarily lost a grip on from her temporary shock. Sadly, one book manages to slip up and over her arms causing Rachel to let out a small gasp. Shutting her eyes in reaction, the brunette waited for the imminent thump that was sure to follow.

And waited.

And waited.

After a noticeable distinctive lack of the expected sound, Rachel furrowed her eyebrows slightly in confusion. A second passed before she first opened her right eye followed by her left.

Brittany unabashedly stared back at Rachel with the caught book held firmly in her hands and a smile ever present. When she noticed the brunette blink a couple of times in slight amazement, the tall blonde felt her own smile widen all the more.

"Need help?" she suggested, breaking the diva out of her small daze.

Clearing her throat slightly, Rachel shook her head once to jumpstart her mind. "No. That's," the brunette paused as she righted some books as a distraction from the blonde's resumed closeness before continuing, "That's not necessary."

The two stood where they were before Rachel decided to move – anything really to get her mind off the fact of how Brittany was just staring at her again. Ensuring she had all that she needed, the petite diva turned to close her school locker before deciding to face Brittany once more. "You just surprised me," she adds with a couple of steps back from the blonde. Her face had become slightly flushed, still not quite used to the miniscule distance that Brittany seemed content with having between them.

Nervously (and lightly) scratching at the side of neck – another bad habit₁ she was trying to get rid of – Rachel struggled to remember her next course of action. When her gaze lowered to avoid those soulful eyes – a lovely shade of baby blues – the diva's focus fell on the blonde dancer's hands. Or, more specifically, what the dancer was currently holding in said hands. Rachel almost felt like slapping her forehead for having such a 'duh!' moment.

Presenting her hand as an offer to take her book back, the brunette fully expected Brittany to return the rescued textbook. Of course, the blonde decided to surprise her all over again.

"Brittany," Rachel began as her recent companion boldly continued with her actions. "What are you doing?" the brunette finally inquires. She didn't struggle, but she didn't exactly protest either. No matter, Brittany easily took each item out of Rachel's arms. "I'm helping," the other girl answered before flashing a rather endearing smile.

The diva's heart rapidly beats twice – maybe even thrice – in quick successions.

And suddenly Rachel was glad that her arms were empty, as she was certain she would have dropped everything; the brunette was rather unprepared really for such an expression aimed at her.

"Come on. We have history together," Brittany commented before starting off down the hallway. Even with arms full of textbooks and binders, her smile doesn't ever fade.

And when a certain brunette finally makes her way next to her, Brittany's smile gets that much brighter.

* * *

The room was awkwardly silent. Well, Emma felt that the silence was awkward but that could have been just her. It's not every day that her secret crush just waltzes right into her office and begins pacing around in front of her.

The (unexpected) situation probably would have fared better if she wasn't sitting ramrod straight with her breath still caught in her throat as a million thoughts – all of them absolutely useless – raced through her mind. Her hands were frozen mid-step, hovering slightly above her desk since moments earlier she had been disinfecting the table. And then a particular male, Spanish teacher came in and she became distracted with his hunky self.

Her grip on the disinfecting wipes tightened slightly as she tried not to have a panic attack, at least not while her secret crush was still pacing around within the vicinity.

_Why is he pacing around?_ Emma finally thought, some semblance of her intelligence beginning to seep back in. Will must have had a good reason for appearing as disheveled as he did; Emma personally thought that made him look sexier. The redhead's eyes glazed over slightly as other (inappropriate) thoughts began to mingle around her mind before she managed to snap herself out of it.

Letting out a small cough, Emma awkwardly cleared her throat in preparation to do or say something, anything. Unfortunately, nothing particularly happens and her voice dies just before it could carry out past her lips. And so the redhead awkwardly sat with her mouth partially open and desperately hoping she doesn't embarrass herself when she actually gains some courage.

It took a few more minutes, but the mysophobic₂ woman finally manages to break out of her self-induced, petrified state.

"So," Emma began as her eyes looked nervously around the office for a moment, "What –"

"I don't understand it, Emma," Will unexpectedly jumps in, effectively cutting off what the redhead was attempting to say.

A bit startled, Emma blinked owlishly a couple of times before realizing what had occurred."Oh. Okay then," she mumbled to herself before decidedly moving her disinfectant kit off the desk. She didn't want Will to think she wasn't listening if she felt the sudden urge to clean during this exchange; it was best to move the temptation away or, at least, off to side momentarily.

"Sue actually has Rachel on the Cheerios," Will begins before finally stopping in his repetitive movements and opting to take a seat in one of the two chairs usually offered for the students.

"You act like it's the end of the world, Will," Emma comments as the mentioned man slumps back in his seat.

"I don't understand," the Spanish teacher reiterates as he shook his head. "Why would Rachel join the very people who torment her? She might as well be walking into a den filled with laughing hyenas!"

Sensing Will's serious nature towards the subject, Emma unknowingly reverts to her counseling persona. She takes off her latex gloves before sealing them inside a handy Ziploc bag from one of her drawers. Placing the items away, the redhead then clasped her hands together before pursing her lips in thought for a moment.

"High school can be a difficult time for teenagers and, unfortunately, it seems the only way to get through it unscathed is by being popular."

"Popularity can't be the only reason Rachel joined," Will immediately interjects.

Emma only tilts her head slightly before answering as politely as she could. "Let's face the facts, Will. There's one thing being on the Cheerios will offer that Glee Club never will: popularity." The redhead then shifts in her seat, easily grabbing a brochure from the bookshelf behind her and hands it to the man who apparently is a little too naive about the inner workings of high school.

Glancing at the title, _Popularity: A Short Guide to Surviving High School_ , Will is stunned that such a brochure existed. Fortunately, Emma manages to continue before he could voice his concerns.

"Kids can be very cruel at this stage of their life, Will. Maybe Rachel's had enough of being the focus of everyone's jokes. And if Sue can offer Rachel some semblance of escape or relief, then it wouldn't be surprising why the girl accepted a position on the Cheerios."

The room lapses into another round of silence as Will considered Emma's reasoning. Popularity did seem to mean everything to these kids, but that was why Glee Club existed – to allow the students to form solidarity, camaraderie even, no matter what differences may exist between their lives. Everyone was welcomed in Glee Club. Unfortunately, it seemed that some things – like the high school caste system – just refused change.

Forming his own assessments, Will straightened his posture as he made up his mind.

"That may be why Rachel joined but it still doesn't explain Sue's involvement," he concludes before promptly standing up. "And I will find out what that woman's getting out of this." With that final announcement, Will exited the room as newfound determination surged through him.

All the while, Emma wonders if Will and Sue would ever stop fighting. But, most importantly, she really hoped Rachel wasn't going to get destroyed between the two rivaling teachers.

* * *

"Having the other Cheerios mess with Rachel during practice this morning wasn't funny," Brittany firmly stated. With her arms crossed and tall stature, the girl looked quite serious with her announcement.

Quinn and Santana only shared a look with one another before facing the other third of the Unholy Trinity. Brittany had, with particular ease, blocked the other two from accessing their school lockers; the three Cheerios opting for side-by-side lockers with one another really helped.

"We're only testing her abilities, Brittany," Quinn answered first.

The tall blonde only gave a stern look in response causing Santana to become frustrated at this bizarre situation.

"Why the hells should it matter? It's freakin' Man Hands, Britts!" Santana questioned, obviously baffled by Brittany's misplaced affections for the hobbit.

"Don't call her that. I like Rachel's hands," Brittany retorts automatically.

Quinn simply gives an 'Are you crazy?' look before adding in her own opinions. "She may be dressed as a Cheerio, but she is definitely not one of us. So it's best to stay away from her, Brittany."

The taller blonde only remains undaunted and huffed slightly. "I'll hang out with Rachel as much as I want, and there's nothing anyone can do about it." After that declaration Brittany stomped off as the other two Cheerios hastily followed with whispered shouts for the girl to stop.

* * *

Evidentially, trying to get Brittany to stop having such a friendly rapport with the Gleek Queen was proving a more difficult task than previously thought. In fact, Brittany refused to talk – much less acknowledged Quinn and Santana – until they referred to the midget as 'Rachel'.

Dubbing the situation as currently hopeless, Quinn and Santana decided to return back to their school lockers. The warning bell had already rung and the two girls had yet to grab the materials they needed for their next classes.

Opening her locker first, Quinn simply stared blankly inside for a few seconds before furrowing her eyebrows. "Where's my stuff?" the blonde plainly asks. Unfortunately, her inquiry is simply tossed aside the moment Santana opened her own locker.

"Oh, what the F?!" the Latina shouts before slamming her locker shut in frustration. However, due to the force used, the locker door harshly swings back open as the rest of the compartment shook slightly. Quinn merely raises an eyebrow when a small rubber duck₃ fell out.

As Santana stomps off in obvious irritation, all the while muttering in Spanish, Quinn looks back at the only object inside her own locker.

A second rubber ducky₃ mockingly stares back at her.

* * *

For the second time in the day Rachel felt her sixth sense pinged. She had momentarily forgotten about the first time it went off; Brittany obviously distracted her.

Discreetly looking around once again, Rachel manages to catch Jacob Ben Israel hovering not so discreetly some locker rows away. The bespectacled boy immediately turns around when caught and attempts to act nonchalant. Rachel sympathetically winced when Jacob was suddenly slammed by some passing jocks.

He hadn't actually pestered her today – a huge relief – but she did catch glimpses, every now and then, of his afro at the edge of her sights; the brunette was uncertain of her feelings at this sudden twist of actions. As long as he kept his distance, Rachel supposes she could deal with his creepy stalker-like tendencies. The brunette tried to keep in the resulting shiver induced from an image of Jacob watching her sleep at night right outside her window.

Rachel made a mental note to keep her curtains closed from now on.

Continuing on her way through the school halls, the brunette passed by Jacob without another glance. It was unfortunate she didn't notice the other set of eyes that watched her leave.

* * *

School had ended for the day but the unfortunate group of girls known as the Cheerios was out on the field dreading the arrival of their coach. They didn't linger long before the woman in all her track-suited galore appeared with what was unmistakably a smile.

"Now then, who's up for some fun?"

Collectively, the Cheerios repressed the urge to groan; a smiling Sue Sylvester never meant good tidings for the McKinley population.

-End Chapter Five-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone's wondering, Brittany had decidedly 'relocated' the belongings of Quinn and Santana; the two are now left with nothing but empty school lockers. Lesson learned: You don't anger Brittany, not even a little.
> 
> ₁ Beside scratching her neck, Rachel's other bad habit was wringing her hands as noted in chapter 1.
> 
> ₂ Emma suffers from mysophobia, an abnormal fear of dirt or contamination.
> 
> ₃ Rubber ducks are the calling card of a certain someone.


End file.
